The Devil's Choice
by CaptainGleek
Summary: One word escaped Lena's full lips, "Sam." She moved her shaking hands from the dead Kryptonian's face and clenched her fists tautly. A minute passed and she felt the air behind her tickled the back of her neck. She turned around, and with a hoarse and broken voice, she said: "Please. Help her. Help me!" Alas, time could stop but could not rewind.
1. Chapter 1

THE DEVIL'S CHOICE

Hi! This is my first fanfiction, and it is an idea I had about what could happen in the season 3 finale of Supergirl! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful day! :)

ONE

It was quiet. Time seemed to have froze and silence plagued the midnight air. Lena could hear the soft whispering of the wind and knew that time had stopped so this moment could be drawn out into more than sixty long, agonizing seconds. Enough time for Lena's heart to break into a million fragments: fragments that could not be put back together, even with the strongest of glue.

Tears streaked down her pale complexion, her green eyes red with sorrow. Lena's fists grabbed at the grass below, her knuckles stark white as she ripped the plant from its roots. She let the grass pieces to slip out of her palms as she reached forward to caress the face of the dead female body in front of her in a futile attempt to arouse the woman from her slumber. Alas, it was too late for she had fallen into the deceitful arms of Death.

One word escaped Lena's full lips, "Sam."

She moved her shaking hands from the dead Kryptonian's face and clenched her fists tautly.

A minute passed and she felt the air behind her tickled the back of her neck. She turned around, and with a hoarse and broken voice, she said: "Please. Help her. Help me!"

Alas, time could stop but could not rewind.

24 HOURS BEFORE - KARA DANVERS' APARTMENT

"Kara!" Alex yelled, throwing her sister's cushion around the apartment. "I have to get to the DEO in five minutes and unlike _some people_ I don't have the ability to fly or run real fast!"

Alex grumbled, but when she stopped, she could her a soft giggle. A smile playing on her lips, she turned around, and glanced at the curtain that was moving. "Kara." She whispered under her breath.

Unfortunately, Alex was unaware of the incredible ability Kryptonians had – or rather, one particular Kryptonian – of concealing themselves. She felt two gnarled hands seize her shoulders and a yelp was ripped from Alex's throat as she tumbled backward onto her sister's sofa.

An eruption of laughter was heard behind her, and Alex moaned. She glared at Kara.

"Come on, Alex. Even you have to admit that I'm pretty good at scaring you." Her sister insisted.

"Well, Kar, can you scare J'onn enough so I won't be yelled at for being late?" Alex said, and almost immediately Kara's smirk was wiped off her face. Terror was evident on her facial features.

Kara leaned forward, until she was sitting on the edge of the sofa. "How about I fly you over? Then you would only be" – she glanced briskly at her watch – "five minutes late!" Kara grinned, and before Alex could react, she was soaring through the air. Kara clasped a hand around her sister's mouth.

Alex peered at her sister. She was clad in her Supergirl outfit, her red cape billowing in the wind. Moving Kara's hand, she spoke with animosity: "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

"Next time, I could throw up on you. You have to warn people before you take them on a joyride."

"Fine." Kara murmured.

Alex trained her eyes on the city below. It was magnificent: the skyscrapers biting at the sky, the cars that crept along the river of winding streets, the voices of the people inaudible as they glided through the summer breeze. Alex cherished the moment of peace.

Unfortunately, her 'peace' was short-lived, for with in a minute, they had landed on the balcony of the new DEO facility.

L CORP's BASEMENT

 _Reign._

The voice was back. Sam feared the moment the voice returned. It was like the screeching of metal against metal – a sound that made her eardrums throb with pain. Sam threw her head back onto the metal table, forcing a scream down her throat. _Not here_ , she tried to convince herself _, not when Ruby_ _'_ _s here_.

 _Let yourself free, Worldkiller. Reign._

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she locked eyes with Lena Luthor – whom was standing mere feet away from here.

Sam clenched her fists, pushing her sore wrists against the restraints.

"Please..." she mumbled, the agony growing and growing. In her peripheral vision, she could see Lena typing desperately on her iPad. Worry was evident on her face.

 _Release yourself and you will Reign._

Excruciating pain flooded her veins and she screamed with abject agony. The voice grew in volume, as other sounds demanded to be heard. It was an orchestra of cacophony in her head.

Her restraints gave way as Sam collapsed onto the floor. She clutched her ears in a futile attempt to avoid hearing the inevitable voice.

Suddenly, all was quiet. Tears streaked down her face, she rose. She could hear the soft whispering of Lena's voice: "Sam?"

A wicked laugh came from Sam. She lifted her head up, her eyes glowing red.

Her voice, distorted, sent a shiver down Lena's spine as a wave of fear engulfed her whole.

"Sam is dead. And I will _Reign_."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again! Thank you so so much for the favourites and follows! You are all amazingly amazing! This chapter is a bit long, but I won** **'** **t be updating until (most likely) Friday... Anyways, enjoy and have a magical day! :)**

 **TWO**

Alex was muttering curses as Kara put them down on the balcony of the DEO. Kara was inexplicably laughing, her unlimited supply of positivity aggravating Alex to an extent where she would punch her sister in the face whilst knowing the implications it could have on her poor hand.

Winn strode toward them, an equally goofy smile plastered across his face. "Alex." He said, his smile almost instantly disappearing. "I've got the location of the newly freed inmate from National City Penitentiary that went on a joyride stealing equipment from military bases!" he exclaimed with an unearthly amount of enthusiasm.

"Okay." Alex muttered.

Kara, however, was unfamiliar with how her sister could remain so gloomy. "Cheer up Alex, you'll get him." Alex rolled her eyes and walked away

Winn looked at Kara and exclaimed with glee: "Kara! Have you seen _The Greatest Showman_?"

Kara snorted. "Of course Winn! _This is me_ is my anthem!"

"Agreed."

"Karaoke tonight?" Winn asked with a huge grin.

"Are we inviting James?" Kara replied, a smile playing on her lips.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed causing the two friends to laugh. Winn was encapsulated with Kara's ethereal blue eyes and wonderful smile: despite everything – the fling with James, the awkwardness with Mon-El and the unspoken chemistry between her and Lena - Winn would always love Kara.

Kara fiddled with her thumbs and she looked up. "How about a deal?" she inquired, walking the halls of the DEO. "Best version of This is Me and..." she paused, and it was evident that she was thinking. "I'll go out with you to the Alien Bar. And I will get super drunk." Kara winked after saying the last part and Winn had to suppress a chuckle.

"You're on Danvers." After all, Winn evaluated, seeing Kara Danvers drunk was a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity.

Kara raised her eyebrows and then super-sped to the desks where there was a collection of computers. Various screens were flickering with profiles: people or aliens with red hair, brown hair, black hair, tentacles and celestial eyes... Kara couldn't even remember them all.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. Supergirl turned around, meeting her sister's warm chocolate eyes that were filled with worry. "Fire down on 5th street – people are trapped on the fourth floor and-"

However, Supergirl was gone with in a split second, leaving a flustered Alex behind.

Ten minutes later she returned. "What else you got for me?"

During the day Supergirl had saved five kittens from falling off a tree – one of which was a snake that was strangely called Kitten (Kara had to be given some encouragement from her sister to pick up the snake) – and had put out one fire, stopped a train from derailing and had prevented a criminal from eluding the taut grasp of Justice.

All in all it was a pretty good day.

Unfortunately, as soon as Kara returned from the high-speed chase, she was greeted with a grim expression that said one word: Trouble. One word escaped from her rosy lips:

 _Reign_.

Without a second thought she jumped up, and flew into the sky.

A flame was dancing in the sky, streaks of red visible across the horizon as the sun peered over the land. The sun was afraid. It wanted to leave before darkness struck. Darkness was creeping at the edges of the fire in the sky – an alluring mix of red, orange and yellow – and with in ten minutes, the darkness had engulfed the sky, as the gilt light of the sun was extinguished by the inky-blue of the darkness.

Heat-vision erupted from her eyes. It broke through the barrier that had kept Reign captive, as Lena was thrown backward, her body crashing helplessly against the computers.

Alarms blared, as a plume of smoke rose from the damaged computers. Reign chuckled, cherishing the chaos. She stepped forward, and clenched her fists. Striding towards the incapacitated scientist, she wrapped her wiry hands around Lena's throat.

Reign smiled. Sam screamed.

The Worldkiller could hear the desperate voice of the pathetic human echoing in her head. Sam's voice was like the sound of irate gunfire, a screeching noise that one would hate.

As a consequence, her hold on Lena slackened, and the woman's eyes slowly opened. At first, the scientist was perplexed, but that was soon replaced with pure terror as she set her eyes on the hands wrapped around her throat. Lena kicked out, her legs pushing Reign back. It was a futile effort, because when the Kryptonian looked up, a look of pure animosity was plastered across her face.

"Sam!" Lena yelled, as she brought her trembling hand to her head. Lena glanced at her hand: it was caked with blood. Her breathing became erratic and for that one moment, Lena was afraid that this would be her demise. Casting the thought of her damnation aside, Lena held out her hand. "Sam," she begged once more, "this isn't you. Don't let Reign take control. Remember your life as Sam Arias. Remember your friends: me, Kara, Alex. Remember your daughter, Ruby!"

An image of a girl flashed in Reign's mind. She had no doubts that this girl was beautiful.

 _Ruby_.

Reign gritted her teeth, feeling the vulnerable human push against her collapsing mind. Gnarling her fingers, she raked them down her face trying to fight the conflict inside. Reign let out a deafening scream, her face contorted with anguish.

Her scream was powerful and knocked an impotent Lena backward until her head hit the wall with a thump. Her eyes shut as her body fell forward as the woman plunged into the depths of unconsciousness.

The Kryptonian gripped her head, another scream ripped out of her throat, reverberating in the room. "You are weak!" she yelled with newfound choler, throwing back her head. However, when Reign looked up again, her eyes were devoid of emotion – devoid of _Sam_. The Worldkiller grinned, as she walked over to Lena with pique.

Reign's eyes gleamed crimson, but before she could eliminate her threat, she was sent crashing into the wall.

When the Kryptonian rose, her blood boiled with indignation - adrenalin pumping through her veins as she felt her sheer power overwhelm her. Her eyes locked with the self-righteous Kryptonian before her: who sported a suit of patriotic red and blue, her red cape billowing behind her despite the lack of wind. Reign smirked, cherishing the moment where Kara Zor-El stood with such confidence. She had stood with the same assertiveness in December, but after, she was left a broken and bloodied girl.

"Your end has come, Kryptonian. Your blood will be used to bathe the streets red." She taunted, her voice dripping immorality.

Kara raised her eyebrows. She took a step forward, before glancing to her left where Lena was lying. "Don't hurt Lena." she said, her voice bold as she put a protecting arm in front of the CEO. "And spare Sam."

"The human?" Reign asked with mock curiosity. "If I die. She dies." Suddenly, she could hear a timid voice inside her head pleading her to stop. She winced, feeling the despondency that Sam was radiating. Kara frowned. "You can feel her can't you? Sam? She will win. She will prevail."

Reign's mind grabbed hold of Sam's, muffling her voice and emotions until it was drowned out by Reign's laugh. It was a wicked laugh that Kara shook at. "You will die today Kara Zor-El. Don't let your last words be something that will never come true."

Kara gulped. "Let her be." She insisted. "This is between you and me, Reign."

And with that, the two Kryptonians lunged at each other, blue and red and black mixing in a haze of colour as they flew through the ceiling into the now-interrupted tranquility of the National City night.

 **TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

 **Wait a minute. It's Sunday not Friday.. (oops, sorry!)**

 **I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! (It is now twelve hours before Lena's narrative at the very beginning of the story in case anyone was confused about the timings of this story!) :)**

 _12 HOURS BEFORE_

The two Kryptonians flew into the sky, trading punches with equal strength. Kara lunged at Reign her fist flying into the Worldkiller's face as the latter tumbles down. Indignation is plastered across Reign's face as she crashed into Kara who yelped in surprise.

They fell through the air: the wind penetrating their suits, the cold breeze whispering in their ears.

Kara could feel every punch that was delivered. Her face was throbbing and her punches were futile against Reign's evidently superior strength. Reign threw another powerful uppercut that sent Kara falling down with incredible speed.

Kara could barely register her surroundings; it was all a grey and black blur. All she could feel was excruciating pain radiating through her body. She tumbled further down until her eyes caught sight of the long winding river-like streets of National City. All of the innocent citizens gazing in horror as they watched their superhero limply shoot to the ground.

Reign flew after her, her hands poised for another punch that would surely send Kara into unconsciousness but with in Kara came newfound self-assurances as she gained her wits and stopped falling.

She blinked hard and clenched her knuckles tightly. Inside her mind she could hear Alex's reassuring voice – the calm voice that brought Kara assertiveness in times of danger. Kara Zor-El opened her eyes and gazed directly into those of Reign's.

As the Worldkiller brought her hand up to knock her down, Kara bent down, her fist swinging violently against the latter's waist which caused a gasp of pain to escape from Reign's mouth. With her opponent distracted Kara clapped her hands together with enormous amounts of force as sound waves emanated from them. Reign flew back her form vanishing into the inky-black of the night.

Kara flew after her, but she could feel something sticky running down the side of her face. In the depths of her mind she knew it was blood. Yet, she persisted and zoomed after Reign's falling form.

 ** _L Corp_** ** _'_** ** _s Basement_**

Lena groggily opened her eyes, blackness dappling her vision. Her head throbbed as she shakily stood up. Her eyes planted on her charred basement: the computers were shattered, some laying on top of each other but others completely destroyed. The walls were marred as well with scorch marks streaked across.

Suddenly her mind flashed back to half an hour ago. The fight. Reign. No, she refused to call Sam that. She was _Sam_ , not a Kryptonian tyrant.

Lena walked forward examining her desk and her eyes drifted to the gaping hole in the ceiling. Reign escaped.

She cursed. How could she be so foolish?

"No." Lena exclaimed, her hands briskly rummaging through the damage. _It had to be okay,_ she thought, _it is the only way to bring her back_. A wave of fear crashed over her – had she lost it in all the commotion? Thankfully, under the toppled computer she found the black glimmering rock - the rock of Yuda Kal.

She sighed. Hastily stuffing the rock in her pocket she looked back at her razed basement. She was not dubious that the board would ask questions but she had no time for that. She had to save Sam.

Lena knew she couldn't save Sam in her demolished lab, so she ventured out of the door, heading toward the DEO compound that she had become all too familiar with.

 _ **DEO**_

Alex was nervous. She was biting her nails viciously as she could hear her sister's labored breathing through the communications.

The last time they had fought Kara was left in a coma. That had been the most terrifying time of her life watching her lifeless sister being wheeled into the DEO on a gurney – blood caking her beautiful face. Her heart had beating wildly, and it was now. Fear had become a permanent friend.

Suddenly an alarm blared. Alex whipped her head around to see Winn typing frantically on a computer. His face was contorted with worry. Alex pushed down the rapid questions that she so desperately wanted to ask.

Instead, with unerring grace and calm, she walked forward peering over the nerd's shoulder. "What is it, Winn?" she asked, her voice refusing to drown out the noises being heard in Kara's comms: there were grunts and gasps and an occasional sharp intake of breath. Alex prayed that her sister would persist.

Winn looked up, his eyes meeting Alex's. "I picked up a Kryptonite signature."

Alex's heart shattered. Fighting back terror she shakily asked: "Where?"

"At..." Winn hesitated, anxiety settling in - "At Kara's location."

 ** _Unknown_**

Two Kryptonians fighting was a spectacle. It was a show of power and determination, of purity and evil.

Kara was pure. But Sam was not. Sam had been plagued by the virus that was Reign, a virus that had snatched away her control – her life.

Therefore, no matter how much loathing Kara felt for the Worldkiller, she could not show any to her friend. That was why with each punch Kara felt reluctant to fight. Reluctant to hurt the shell of her friend – the body (not the mind) of her best friend whose heart was bigger than anyone could ever imagine.

Kara dove forward her fist flying at Reign's face. Reign caught it, and Kara's face was etched with surprise. Reign yanked her arm forward as Kara stumbled, before driving her knee into the Kryptonian's stomach. Kara gasped in pain, and before she knew it, blood erupted from her mouth.

Coughing relentlessly, she fell forward onto her knees bewildered. Wiping her mouth she stared in perplexion at her crimson hand but her ignorance was a folly mistake.

Reign cackled, grabbing Kara by the hair and slamming her head down onto the ground.

Agony exploded in her head as Kara clenched her teeth tightly. Darkness clouded her vision as Kara gasped trying to battle against the seemingly consoling unconsciousness that she wanted to avoid. "The Last Daughter of Krypton." Reign spoke, radiating evil.

Kara grunted, blinking hard to try to elude the anguish she felt. "Sam," she muttered as she stood shakily. However, she fell back to her knees, visibly in pain. "Don't do this. This...this _is not you_."

Reign couldn't care less. Behind her back was a concealed weapon. She brought it back as it eerily glowed green.

Kara's eyes widened as pain flooded her body as the darkness threatened to consume her once again. "How...?"  
"I am impervious to your weakness, Kryptonian. I _am more powerful than you._ And you will die a criminal by the hands of _justice_!"

Kara gulped, her blue eyes watery as she pleaded with Reign. She stood again, as her heart beat wildly in her chest. A wave of fear crashed over her as it threatened to drown her. Kara brought her hand out, trying to reason with Reign – _no, not Reign_ , _Sam_. Blood was dribbling from her mouth as she coughed once more.

"Please...don't. Sam. This isn't you. You're my best friend."

Reign let her Kryptonite dagger clatter to the floor. Images flooded her mind with in an instant: images of Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor as they cuddled together on the sofa, gleefully watching Netflix. These images were unfamiliar, but at the same time, they were cherished memories. Reign frowned, and Sam broke through.

"Kara?" one word was whispered out of Sam's mouth. "Oh my god."

Sam brought her trembling hands into her vision. They were caked with blood. _Kara_ _'_ _s blood._ "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god." She repeated continuously.

How could she do this to her friend? Kara?

Her eyes trained on Supergirl – no, _Kara_ \- in her marred uniform, her face far from the one that she had come to recognize as a friend. She had done this. _She had hurt her friend._

Sam collapsed to the ground, tears streaking down her face as she wept. "I'm a monster." She said over and over again. Kara shook her head, crawling over to her friend, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"No, you're not. You're Samantha Arias. The best mother and friend anyone could wish for." Kara offered a smile, but Sam could not take her eyes off the blood.

"I hurt you. I hurt everyone." Sam stood up suddenly, pushing away from Kara. "I'm a monster!" she cried aloud. Reign was desperate to take control. Sam started to breathe abnormally as she clutched her head in agony. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she screamed, her voice raw and hoarse, echoing in the barren landscape and quiet of the night. Her voice became timid -

"Get out of my head."

Kara moved forward, fret evident. "Sam?" she asked.

Sam looked up, her eyes watery.

"Help me."

 _ **TBC...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Ready for chapter four? ;)**

 **(This is a bit shorter but I'll be updating again on Sunday so Do Not Worry!)**

 **FOUR**

 ** _DEO_**

Radio silent. Alex held her breath. There was only static in Kara's comms and Alex could physically feel her heart slowly fragmenting into millions of tiny pieces. A tear fell from her left eye.

 _No_ , she said to herself, _Kara is strong._

Yet dread had begun settling in the depths of her heart. J'onn strode forward, looking at Alex with warm brown eyes. "I'll go."

Alex nodded, some relief washing over her.

In the control centre there was only silence. Winn was nervously tapping away at his computer: in a futile attempt to fix the problem with Kara's communication system. The other DEO agents – the people that blended into the dull atmosphere – were murmuring quietly. Alex stopped herself from going up to them and starting what Kara called her 'Alex-Rant'. Kara described it as an 'orchestra of cacophony where Alex would yell at someone for five minutes straight about them being mean or somehow hurting Kara'.

Her Alex-Rant was withheld, but she couldn't stop throwing despicable glances toward them.

Suddenly, she heard a huge thud from the DEO balcony. Without a word spoken, she whisked her way up the stairs, Winn following closely behind. As she dashed up the concrete stairs she could hear J'onn saying over the comms that 'there was no sign of Supergirl or Reign'.

Of course there wasn't.

Because they were right in front of her.

 ** _Entrance to DEO_**

As soon as Lena entered the DEO she could tell that there was something significant going on. The guards recognized her as she walked through, but she could not help but notice their indignant glares – again, they were judging her because she was a Luthor.

But Lena did not care. She had to get the rock of Yuda Kal to their lab and find a way to be rid of Reign for all time. It was _urgent._

The DEO agents parted way for her as her eyes wandered over the crowd, trying to pinpoint a familiar face. She saw Winn standing on the balcony surrounded by an immense crowd. Dread began settle in her heart.

 _Is it Sam? What happened?_

Her concern for Sam had soon vanished when broke through the crowd and laid her eyes on the broken hero before her.

Supergirl's eyes were devoid of hope – something that automatically sent shivers down Lena's spine. Supergirl was a beacon of hope but now she was half-standing on the DEO balcony, a whimpering Reign – _no Sam_ – in her arms. Sam's eyes were constantly moving, as if she was trying to take in her surroundings but the more colours and images she saw the more perplexed she became. However, the closer Lena got to her friend, the louder her erratic whispering was. Sam kept on whispering: _"_ _I hurt my friend. I am a monster_." Lena's heart broke. Her best friend was in shambles and Lena was helplessly watching.

Melancholy caused Lena's hand to move forward as she slowly caressed Sam's unearthly stark-white complexion. Sam did not respond the action but continued to mumble the same thing over and over again: "I am a monster. I hurt my friend."

Lena's eyes then drifted toward the superhero, and now that she was mere tens of centimetres away from her, she could see how much the hero was suffering.

Her blonde hair was matted with murky-red, a wound on her head causing blood to slowly trickle down her pale face. As the soft moonlight drifted through the sky, a column of the silver light on the hero, Supergirl's face glistened – sweat beaded her forehead. She could even see hints of green in her skin and every few seconds green veins would appear and Lena knew that that was not a good sign. Her expression was a permanent grimace as she took short inhalations of breath. Her knuckles were white from carrying Sam so tautly and her face was contorted in pain. Her legs were trembling as she tried to stand. Blood was dribbling down from her mouth along her chin as well, and Lena could feel her soul being ripped into shreds at the sight of the once alluring blonde Kryptonian looking so _human._

Alex Danvers stepped forward, shock plastered across her face as the DEO agents gently moved Sam out of Supergirl's grasp. Almost instantly, Supergirl fell forward on her face, her limp form sprawled on the floor. She had given in to the inevitable darkness.

Alex walked forward, holding back tears. She saw Lena Luthor's face looking down her but she ignored it.

 _This was Kara. Kara is hurt. How could she let this happen to her sister_?

Alex took a deep breath and whispered in Kara's ear: "Kara?" Alas, there was no response. Alex moved her trembling fingers to her sister's neck, her eyes deliberately avoiding her sister's bloodied face. It was sight that would haunt her forever. Alex prayed. She prayed to every god she had heard of that she would feel the steady thud of Kara's pulse.

As her fingers traced her neck, time stopped. Memories flashed back: Alex and Kara talking about Alex's first crush, their visit to the beach where Kara had first discovered the true enjoyment from jumping over waves, when they got busted for taking Jeremiah's car out for a joyride and inexplicably damaging it. Alex smiled quickly, a tear flowing down her cheek.

 _No. Stop. Kara_ _'_ _s not going anywhere yet,_ she tried to convince herself.

"I swear to god Kara if you die I'll... I'll throw away all of your potstickers..."

And there it was. The pulse.

Lena knew she heard a small laugh from Alex Danvers as she tended to the wounded hero. She ignored it and followed the DEO agents taking Sam away.

"Today Reign dies. Tomorrow Samantha Arias lives." She said with respectable confidence as she watched the agents attach medical equipment to her dazed friend. Behind her Alex Danvers briskly wheeled in Supergirl on a gurney where the doctors were frantically trying to save her.

Unbeknownst to Lena it was not just one friend she could lose, but two.

 _ **TBC...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaah! I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating on Sunday! This chapter is a bit rubbish and short but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Also, I really want to say a HUGE AND MAGICAL thank you to you guys for following and favouriting and reviewing! It really makes my day!**

 **Let's get on with the story, shall we?**

 **FIVE**

 ** _DEO Medical Bay_**

Alex wished that she would never have to hear the beeping of a heart monitor again. The first time had been traumatizing: when her mother had been involved in a hit-and-run because Kara ran out onto the road. Alex had loathed Kara; a huge flood of curses and insults had ran out of her mouth as she saw with her young, fifteen-year-old eyes as her mother flew across the concrete road, motionless.

But now she hated herself for hating her sister. Her sister who laid equally as motionless; the steady beat of the heart monitor was the only thing that kept Alex from going on a Sue-Sylvester-style rampage that included her much feared Alex-Rant.

Alex gently picked up Kara's limp hand, and watched as her chest rose up and down. Her eyes drifted over her sister's bandaged face. She brought her other hand to caress the Kryptonian's face.

She smiled, and whispered: "Oh, Kara."

Suddenly, there was a cough behind her. Alex whipped her head around to see a ruddy-eyed Lena Luthor walk in. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." Lena quickly said, avoiding Alex's eyes. She knew Kara's sister to a certain extent, but she felt now was not the time to bond and reminisce. Instead, she rapped her knuckled against the glass door and watched Supergirl breathe.

"Are you close?" she asked in a small voice."

Alex evidently avoided the question and replied: "Don't you need to visit Sam?" Her voice was filled with more animosity than she had wanted.

Lena's alluring green eyes were filled with despondency. "No." She sighed. "She is with Ruby. But she's safe."

Alex glared at Lena, and Lena bit her lip knowing that those were the wrong words. "I'm sorry." She whispered but Alex ignored it and stood aggressively. She strode out of the room, a tear trickling down her face as she wiped her eye – not before she threw another vicious glare at the Luthor.

Lena knew that Alex hated her. Had it not been for her, Supergirl would have not been injured and in such pain. Lena's hands trembled as she reached forward for Supergirl, her eyes wide as she saw the cuts and bruises mend in the gilt light of the sun lamps.

"Supergirl." Lena said softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It was not your fault. I should have told you about Sam. It's my fault." Ire boiled her blood and she spoke again but with more vehemence.

"This is my fault. For God's sake it's my bloody fault! I hurt you! I can't... You have protected me on countless occasions and I stab you in the back? That's not how friends work. I'm no friend. I mean, come on Supergirl, look at you – you're hurt and you could die and it's all because I'm a... I'm a Luthor! You shouldn't have trusted me in the first place! I should have told you! _How can you save the world if you don_ _'_ _t know everything!_ Its _my fault_."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she rubbed her eyes. She clenched her fists until they were stark-white.

"No it isn't."

Lena jumped at the sound of the hoarse voice that was unmistakably the Kryptonian's. "Supergirl." Lena breathed out, feeling a wave of relief engulf her.

"How... How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a train." Kara mumbled: "And then the train dumped all of its cargo on me. Because of that, I got pushed over the railways and into an immense chasm. This chasm was full of scathing hot lava. Then, multiply that pain by...how about 10? No, ten thousand."

Supergirl smiled weakly and offered a laugh. Lena returned the favour.

"I never knew Kryptonian's were so sarcastic and witty."

Kara coughed, raising her hand slightly as she pointed a finger at the scientist. "It's not your fault." Lena looked into Supergirl's beguiling blue eyes, and she feared that if she looked for too long, she would be lost in them.

"It is."

"No." Kara managed, she tried to sit up, but the various wires attached to her body prevented her from doing so. "It isn't. I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have gone behind your back and told James to spy on you."

Lena opened her mouth to speak, but Kara stopped her.

"Please don't tell me otherwise. Maybe if I hadn't got so caught up on the fact you're a Luthor then... And I'm the one who believed in you first and I completely ignored the countless times you've saved me."

"How have I saved _you_ , Supergirl?" Lena said with more rage that she had originally intended. Lena threw her hands in front of her aggressively and yelled:

"I nearly killed you! _I got distracted by Sam and forgot about you...Had I not, the cure would be ready and I could have saved you, Kara!_ _"_

Silence followed. Layers of tension had been gradually building up and Lena had cut them all of using a slick knife.

Kara was taken aback. She forgot about the anguish she was in and her eyes were wide. Words could not form. Kara _Danvers_ was in shock.

Lena knew. _Lena Luthor knows._

Fear took hold of Kara quickly, and she gulped. _Lena knew. How could she let this happen? How could she have put her friend in danger?_

"How...?" Kara trailed off.

Lena gritted her teeth, her ire dissolving away. "I always knew Kara," she said, a small smile playing on her lips as tears ran from her eyes. "When I first met you, I was lost in those-" Lena paused, wiping a tear. Kara's eyes were locked on Lena. For that one moment, it could seem that they were the only ones in the world.

"Those damn ethereal eyes of yours. And when my device that permitted me to scan for aliens supposedly 'broke', I saw that heat-vision was the only cause for its demise. And it broke after you, Kara. I refused to believe it, of course – but then when you always sided with Supergirl, I had gut feeling. And how you felt close to Sam. And how whenever I see you, its like a huge floodgates have been opened and my heart is subject to genuine happiness warm."

"But-" Kara tried, but with one smooth action, Lena pressed her rosy lips against Kara's.

Kara's eyes were wide, but she didn't fight back. Instead, she took her pale hands and grasped Lena's face, pulling her closer. Lena complied.

They hadn't care in the world. Such huge amounts of bliss streamed into Lena's heart and she was encapsulated by the moment: the moment that she had longed for.

When they came apart, all of the noise of the DEO was audible again. It was as if they had been taken out of monotone of reality and brought into their own little place. And at that little place, the sounds of reality had faded into background noise so that they could cherish the moment.

Kara could feel Lena's breath against her cheek. It was tickling her. Kara laughed gently and stared into Lena's emerald green eyes. They were breathtaking.

"Oh. My. God."

The two people whipped their heads around, surprised by the sudden interruption. Red-faced, they faced Winn Schott.

Winn was leaning casually against the frame of the glass door, his eyes glued to the two women. "Well," he said, raising his hands slowly. "Its about time." A grin was plastered across his face, and Lena awkwardly smiled back.

Kara, however, burst out into a mix of laughter and coughing and spluttering. Winn walked forward and whispered something in Kara's ear.

More laughter erupted from Kara, but Lena worriedly said: "Stop laughing. You'll rip your stitches."

Winn raised his eyebrows, and walked out, not before winking at them.

The Kryptonian cried out as he went out: "I will not be singing Summer Nights with Lena, Schott!"

As soon as Kara said that, Lena couldn't help but join in on the fun and started chuckling.

They both hugged each other tautly, and Winn looked back shaking his head.

"Yes you will, Kara Danvers. Yes you will."

 ** _TBC..._**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is long overdue, don't you think? It's more of a filler chapter, but the next one, boy, it's going to be one hell of a roller coaster! (I think...I hope :) )**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and have a brilliantly brilliant day!**

SIX

 _5 HOURS BEFORE_

 ** _DEO Medical Bay_**

"Do you know what they say about dawn, Kara?"

Kara looked over to Lena, who was smiling broadly. "What?"

"They say it is always darkest before dawn."

"And?" Kara insisted, not entirely comprehending.

"How can it be dark when I'm with you?" The CEO replied, moving closer to Kara, caressing the superhero's leg. However, Kara felt uncomfortable and moved further back.

"I can't, Lena."

Lena frowned, as she softly said: "Why not?"

"Because, you're with James. I can't betray my friend like that."

The Luthor sighed. Lena stood up abruptly, and placed a hand on Kara's shoulder. "I know. But that kiss. You _were_ into it, weren't you?"

"I was." Kara replied, slightly red-faced and guilty-looking. "I don't know what to do Lena. I can't do this." Lena looked at Kara, biting her lip. Lena desperately wanted to be with Kara, but the Kryptonian had raised a valuable point. Their newfound love would put their friendship with James at risk.

"It's your choice, Kara." Lena said, sternly. "I'm not going to make it for you." Lena put her hand on the doorframe and looked back at Kara with pleading eyes. Kara was speechless. "I'm going to see if I can make a cure. For Sam."

Kara nodded gratefully, but secretly she cursed herself for pushing Lena away. As Lena vanished into the bustling crowds of agents, Kara clenched her knuckles tightly.

Lena was more important. But was she? Just before all of this mayhem, Lena had hated her for not trusting her. James had been with her since this whole superhero thing had started.

Her thoughts were constantly contradicting each other, and it gave Kara a splitting headache. The pain caused her head to throb, and it came to such an extent that Kara was forced to press her 'help' button. (A button that Alex had insisted on putting in Kara's hospital room. It was for emergencies, or as Alex had put it, ir was for 'when Alex needed to kick some ass'.)

She needed someone to talk some sense into her. And who better to talk to than someone who was playing for the same team as Kara?

A few minutes passed and Kara impatiently let out a moan: " _Alex!_ "

 ** _DEO Lab_**

Lena gritted her teeth, pushing her emotions down. It was the only thing she could possibly do.

Her legs planted firmly on the ground, she leaned forward, peering through the microscope lens. She was looking at a sample of Sam's DNA. Her cells were mutating very briskly – the longer they took the more _Reign_ Sam would become. Lena would never wish that fate upon her best friend.

Grumbling, Lena looked up. Her eyes were trained to the board of calculations. It was messy and only Lena could understand the frantic scribbles and collection of numbers. Drifting her attention to the rock, she picked it up carefully.

Her eyes scoured its surface, looking for anything odd. She saw nothing. It was just a piece of stupid rock. Frustrated, she slammed it back down on the table.

"You know, just because its from Krypton doesn't mean that it is indestructible."

Lena turned around, catching sight of Winn Schott who was casually leaning against the door.

"Having some problems?"

Lena glared.

"Okay," Winn said calmly, walking to her. "Let me help."

"Fine." Lena remarked stubbornly. "But don't touch my stuff!" she said, batting Winn's hands away from her prized microscope.

"It's just a microscope!" he argued, flinging his hands up in surrender.

"No it isn't!" Lena snapped. "It's Milo. My very first microscope."

"That's not weird at all," Winn muttered, fiddling with his fingers.

Lena threw an indignant glare. Winn raised his eyebrows.

He grabbed the rock and began tossing it around between his hands. "The rock of Yuda Kal. Also known as… Fancy Space Rock. What exactly are you trying to do with it?"

"I need to figure out whether there is liquid in its core, then I can extract it and use it in the remedy for Sam. But I can't figure out a way to do that."

Winn frowned, "I remember doing this in Physics class in college. It's how… how they discovered the structure of the Earth!"

Something clicked in Lena's head. Her eyes lit up. "Yes!" she exclaimed, joy filling her. "That's it! Seismic waves!" Snatching the rock from Winn, she looked at it once more. Her eyes darted around and she ran forward, grabbing various pieces of equipment from the desks. Winn stood back, perplexed.

"Calm the farm, Lena! Alex is going to get quite annoyed if her lab is trashed."

Lena ignored him. She knew how to do this.

She looked up at him, a smile playing on her rosy lips. "Longitudinal P waves travel through both solid and liquid. I can send one of them through, and then I'll know for sure that there is liquid if the wave refracts. Then, if we find the rock's boiling point, we can conduct an experiment and melt the outside of the rock. Therefore, even if there isn't a liquid inside, we'll have it anyway!"

"That makes _no sense_ ," Winn said. "But, if it works, then..."

Lena smirked, as Winn had a sudden epiphany. He spoke with newfound confidence:

"Then we can cure Sam of Reign."

 ** _DEO Secured Medical Bay_**

 _Sam..._

A voice was whispering to her. It was small and quiet, and sounded as if it came from a child. Somehow, it soothed Sam, calmed her down. It was if this voice was drawing her into a deep sleep. It was not like a deceptive, enigmatic voice – it was one that promised her peace and Sam couldn't help but be consumed by it.

 _Sam. Listen._

The next time the voice spoke in the darkness of Sam's unconsciousness, it was vaguely familiar.

 _Mum. Mum? Can you hear me?_

It was Ruby. Her sweet child.

Sam's heart flooded with warmth as she smiled.

 _Mum, I need help. Can you help me?_

The darkness in her mind faded into an image of Ruby. The 12-year-old was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a leaf on it that read: _Leaf me alone!_ Sam chuckled when her mind flashed back to the memory of Ruby's reaction when Sam bought it for her. Ruby had loathed it. She had always hated puns. The girl had always thought that they were a 'sad attempt at humour'.

Ruby was sporting a playful smile and her eyes were wide with wonder.

 _Mum._ Her voice was much clearer now.

Suddenly, her expression turned to one of sheer fright.

 _What are you doing?_ She said, her voice trembling. Sam frowned. Why was Ruby scared? She reached out a hand to assure the girl, but Ruby's eyes widened in terror as Sam came close.

 _No. Mum! Don't!_

Sam's hand turned black. No, not black - it was covered by a black suit of some sort.

A wave of fear crashed over her, as Sam realized that this was no _her_ but Reign.

 _What have you done with my mum?_

Reign cackled. Sam turned around, trying to locate the Worldkiller. But the Kryptonian was speaking from her. Reign was her.

Another scream. The hand reached out, wrapping itself around Ruby's throat. The girl's eyes were full of shock as she managed: _How could you do this mum?_

Then Ruby collapsed to the floor. Her eyes were unseeing.

Sam screamed.

Jolting up, she could feel her heart throbbing in her chest. Her face was caked with sweat, as Sam grabbed her own throat.

 _It was simply a nightmare,_ her mind tried to convince herself.

Sam was terrified. "Ruby," she said softly.

Someone spoke from her left. "She's okay. Don't worry."

Sam looked and saw the anxious complexion of Alex Danvers. Her hair was curled and her big brown eyes were gazing intently at Sam. She was dressed in unadorned black clothes, a blue-shimmering gun strapped to her waist. Alex was standing in front of the desk, a microscope sitting idly by her. Various charts were pinned up on the walls, with computers screens flashing information.

"Ruby's with her dad."

Sam gulped. "That's... that's good."

Alex came forward, sitting on the edge of Sam's bed. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." Sam said shakily. "I really don't know." The woman choked out a sob.

Alex looked at her sad eyes. "You'll be fine. We're working on a cure. Reign will go away."

"But if Reign is part of me," she hesitated for a moment, "then if you kill her won't you..." her voice trailed off.

"No." Alex said, determined. "That won't happen."

"Wait a second. Who exactly is 'we'?"

Alex smiled. "Everyone here at the DEO. It's an organization that deals with alien threats and monitors alien activity. Including Supergirl."

 _Supergirl_. _Kara._

Sam gasped. "Kara."

Alex's eyes widened in shock. "What?" she cried out.

"Kara's Supergirl. And I _hurt_ her." Sam shook. "What have I done?"

Alex pushed Kara's identity crisis aside. She would have a talk with her little sister later about sharing her identity. Alex trusted Sam, but the notion that the woman knew Kara's identity presented a bigger threat toward Kara and the people she loved. The most evident threat it posed was that Reign could use it to her advantage. Alex didn't even want to think about what would happen if that became reality. It was a thought too ghastly for her to handle.

"It's not your fault. She's okay. She'll live."

"I hurt your sister. How can you look at me knowing I caused her harm?"

Alex sighed. She lowered her head and began to twiddle with her thumbs. After a few moments of silence, she raised her head and spoke solemnly. "I don't know. So many people have hurt her: emotionally and physically. But you didn't hurt her. Reign did."

Sam looked at Alex with astonishment. She had never imagined that the older Danvers sibling was possible of forgiveness on such a large scale. "I'm Reign. Reign is part of me."

"Sometimes, we have parts of us that we really don't like. And we just have to deal with them; find a way to make sure that we control ourselves, not just for us, but for the sake of others.

"I'm gay. I used to hate myself for that, for being different. However, now, I embrace it. It's part of me. And now I can't help but love it! Without it, I wouldn't be me!" Alex smiled at Sam. "Reign is very bad. Horrible, in fact." Sam laughed a little. "But Sam, if you can expel all the evil of Reign and then embrace your Kryptonian roots, do you know what you have left?"

Sam shook her head.

"You have this badass Kryptonian who can fight evil! Someone who can protect everyone she loves without worrying about her dark side coming out. Someone people can look up to. Like Supergirl."

"Like Kara."

"Yeah. Ruby will be so proud of you. Everyone will be."

"Thanks, Alex."

It was at that moment, for the first time in twenty-five years that Sam wished that she had a sibling. She felt quite jealous that Kara had such a kind-hearted and phenomenal sister - one who would always stand by her, no matter what happens; a flashlight in the dark that could guide her home. But Sam had no one. Her mother was distant. Lena was wary around her. Even Ruby feared her – her _own mother_.

Sam sighed. An alarm suddenly blared in the room, and Alex groaned. "Kara." she murmured, slowly and reluctantly getting up. At that, Sam couldn't help but chuckle.

She watched as Alex disappeared into the bustling crowds, both of them completely oblivious to the shadowy figure lurking in the dark.

 ** _TBC..._**


	7. Chapter 7

**Heya everybody! This is it! The big build up of** ** _The Devil's Choice_** **! It's only one hour folks before the summary! (Ay caramba, that was a lot of exclamation marks.)**

 **Enough of me blabbing… Here we go! :)**

 **SEVEN**

1 HOUR BEFORE

 ** _DEO Secured Medical Bay_** ****

The shadow flitted between the computers.

Sam glanced at the clock. It was coming up to four o'clock in the morning. Nearly dawn. Sam could see the vivid colours of morning begin to burst in the sky, the sun carefully poking its head from the horizon.

Since she was a small child she had loved to watch the sunrise. The few times when she and her mother had called a truce, they would always get up early so they could watch the sun rise. Sam recalled one time when her mother had taken her for a sunrise walk on the beach. It had been truly stunning. That was for her tenth birthday, before their relationship had collapsed into a heap of nothing.

Later on, Sam's mother had shown her beauty of the sunset. They sat on the roof of their seaside home, watching the fading sunlight glisten on the ebbing waves. Hugging each other, they had fallen asleep on the rooftop. That was probably one of Sam's favourite memories from her childhood.

The rest... well, they weren't as pleasant.

Sam was disappointed that she hadn't been able to show Ruby the wonders of the sunrise. _You still have time,_ she thought. But a part of her doubted that.

Sam sighed. She began to hum _Let her go_ by _Passenger._ It was Ruby's favourite song. She had always sung it as a child. Now, Sam used that song as a way of remembering Ruby.

" _Only know you've been high when you're feeling low..._ "

A thud sounded.

Alert, Sam whipped her head around to the source of the noise. Her eyes widened when she saw a cloaked figure approach her – the figure's chest bearing the symbol of Reign.

"Samantha Arias." The figure said in a disguised voice. Sam backed away further into her pillow. Her hands were tightening around her 'call' button.

"We don't really need you. But the Earth does, Samantha Arias. The Earth needs you to _Reign_."

 ** _DEO Lab_**

The wave refracted. _The wave refracted!_

"Yes! It refracted! There is liquid inside!" Lena yelled, practically jumping for joy.

Winn scrambled forward, examining the chart and diagram on the computer. His eyes darted to all of the flickering numbers and he gasped. "It worked!"

"As if there was any doubt." Lena remarked sassily, raising an eyebrow. Winn forced a laugh.

"Now we need to find a boiling point."

Winn raised a finger, biting the bottom of his lip. "Lena... what if the boiling point is really, really high? It would take eons to figure out its boiling temperature. And, if you didn't notice, we don't have that long."

"Damn. You're right." Lena cursed herself. She had gotten so far only to be stopped by the final obstacle. It was aggravating.

Noticing that he had effectively crushed Lena's dreams, he tried to offer another solution and be more optimistic. "Hey," he spoke softly. "There's no harm in trying." Pushing his goggles further up the bridge of his nose, he placed the rock into the Legendary-Fire-Oven (as he liked to call it, though its technical name was Industrial Heater). Turning the dial up, he looked at the black screen. The number 100 flickered onto the screen.

"Okay, 100 degrees Celsius. That's a good place to start!"

The rock had been placed in a vat of water that was rapidly turning into steam. It billowed out of the top of the Legendary-Fire-Oven, disappearing into the vents. Winn turned the dial again. "Now we are at 150. No change."

Pessimistic, Lena walked over to the other end of the room, clearing up. She was dubious that Winn's leap-before-you-look method would actually work.

"200."

Winn was slowly losing hope.

"300."

The numbers continued. Winn turned the dial slowly once more. He exhaled loudly. "850." The digits increased, and Winn set his eyes on the rock. Then, with sudden ecstasy he cried out: "It's melting!"

Lena scrambled toward him. His eyes were not deceiving him. The rock was melting. The blue and black exterior seemed to droop into the water. After a few moments, it had all become liquid. It was a gloopy, thick mess that infested the waters, but it had worked!

The Legendary-Fire-Oven cooled down. The door opened with an unmistakable hiss. Winn grabbed a spatula and scraped out the liquid, before cautiously pouring it a syringe. Lena snatched it and held it up, admiring it.

"We've got it." And together they raced to J'onn and Alex.

 ** _DEO Conference Room_**

The two scientists burst through the doors violently. Winn nearly tripped over his own feet. Gasping and spluttering, Lena held up the syringe. "The cure."

Alex could not help but let out a huge smile. Hope filled her veins, as she looked at J'onn. "Well done, Ms Luthor." He said emotionlessly – the Martian was evidently hiding his joy.

Alex unbuckled the gun that was strapped to her waist. It was empty. She gestured for Lena to give her the syringe and Lena did. Alex looked to her left and saw a collection of empty bullets, and squeezed the cure into one bullet casing. It was filled to the brim with the blue-black liquid. Securing the lid, she put it in the barrel of the gun. It let out a satisfying _click_.

"Ready."

"Wait... wait a minute." Lena said quickly. "You are going to _shoot her_?"

Before Alex could answer, J'onn intervened – he could sense the tension in the air between the two women. "It will not be lethal. But it will work whether Sam is Sam or she is Reign. Also, Ms Luthor, how do you expect us to administer the cure if Sam is a Worldkiller? The only way is by force."

Lena shut up. Winn, however, was grinning. "But Sam will be cured. She'll be Sam again!" he spoke, trying to lift Lena's spirits.

Suddenly the alarms blared.

Their eyes widened. A voice spoke frantically over the speakers: "Reign is loose in the facility. I repeat... Reign is free!"

 ** _DEO Weapons Room_** ****

Her eyes glowed red. The guard outside this room was scared. She could sense the fear in the air. Reign laughed. She despised humans for the sole reason that they were fearful. Superior beings – like her – were not brought down by fear. It was a weakness.

As she blasted her heat vision at the guard, she grinned. The guard flew against the wall, his body slowly coming apart.

She held her hands out and pushed them against the huge metal door. It instantly crumpled. Even the door was weak. Everything, everyone on Earth was weak. It was actually ridiculous.

Reign smiled at the array of green-gleaming weapons: but some were shimmering blue, some pink and some glowing black. As she was impervious to kryptonite, the Worldkiller decided that the kryptonite-weapons would suit her most.

Her fingers wandered over the weapons, before picking up a green knife. It was truly stunning. Next to it were a set of green throwing stars and a gun filled with kryptonite bullets. Reign found it quite amusing that the DEO – Supergirl's ally – had such a huge variety of toys for her to use: it was almost as if the DEO did not trust Supergirl.

Reign was about to leave when her eyes caught something hiding in the shadows. It was a luxurious black supersuit, the emblem of the Worldkillers etched on the front. With long sleeves and a mask, Reign laughed. The hobbit hadn't been able to resist making a few alterations to her suit. She sped forward, and with in a second the suit had been put on.

Discarding her hospital garments, she felt her new suit. It was slick. It fitted her perfectly. It was a piece of art.

Reign strapped the weapons to her side, and left the room. Before vanishing into the corridor, she stopped.

"Wait, I can't leave just yet. Not without a little compensation prize."

 ** _DEO Medical Bay_**

"Kara!"

Kara looked up. Her sister came striding into her room, a stern expression on her face.

"Why so serious?" she asked. Alex frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Alex, you are wearing _that face_. It's the face you sport when everything is going wrong. The last time you looked that way was when Harry McClure had cheated on you with-"

Alex glared. Kara immediately shut up.

"But why are the alarms blaring? What's going on?" she asked, concern filling her voice.

Alex looked at Kara. "We have a slight problem. Reign is free."

"Sam, or Reign?"

"Reign."

"Oh schist."

"Are you okay to help?"

Kara gave Alex a huge smile. "Of course, Alex." Her blue eyes glinted in the light. Alex returned the smile with a sigh of relief.

"J'onn is trying to hold her off right now-"

Suddenly they heard a huge _smash_. Alex stumbled backward to see J'onn lying helplessly in a pile of glass and rubble. "Correction: was trying to hold her off. Let's go, Kara."

Kara dashed out of bed, but her cheery expression became grim when she saw who was behind Alex. "Reign." She growled in a very menacing way.

"Alex, get back."

Agent Danvers shook her head, before whacking Reign unexpectedly in the face with a spin-kick. "Hell no."  
Alex slapped her sides and two guns flew to her hands. Kara simply raised her eyebrows. They shone a bright yellow, and Alex fired twelve rounds at Reign. Each time she was hit, an arc of electricity would zap Reign backward. After the twelve rounds, Reign was on her knees, angrier than ever.

Alex smirked at Kara, but yelped when Reign barreled into her. They collided heavily with the wall behind her. Sparks flew and Kara yelled Alex's name.

Whisking her way to Reign, she pulled the Kryptonian off her groaning sister. Grabbing Reign by the collar she threw her into the wall. Reign crumpled to the ground before shakily regaining her footing.

As Reign stood tall, Kara shot her heat-vision at her. Reign countered it with a burst of freeze-breath. They circled each other. Kara slowly moved her spare hands to her cape.

Hopefully now those cape-tricks would come in handy.

Kara grasped her cape and pulled it over Reign. The latter was extremely bewildered and started to flail about. Taking this opportunity, Kara swiveled on one foot before sweeping the other to Reign's feet. The Worldkiller stumbled and fell. Taking her cape off she twisted it around Reign's arm and tugged at it. The Worldkiller was promptly thrown viciously into the glass. Reign crashed into the railing and tumbled over the side, landing in a heap on the ground floor.

"Ay caramba!" Winn cried out as Reign landed inches from his feet.

Kara glided through the air as she landed next to Reign. The Worldkiller was snarling and spoke in a distorted voice: "Weakness. I am impervious to your pathetic weakness, Kryptonian. I am more powerful. You can never achieve such power."

Supergirl gasped. Suddenly every breath she inhaled felt like she was breathing shards of glass. She tried to exhale and inhale, but her lungs were filling up with water. Clutching her chest, she frowned before looking at Reign with perplex. Reign glared in contempt.

"What?" Kara managed between fits of coughing.

Her lungs seemed to be shrinking. The world began to spin. Black spots plagued her vision. But a part of her knew exactly what foe she was currently facing: the enemy that had followed her around since Krypton.

"Kryptonite."

Only now did Kara's eyes drift to Reign's waist that had obtained a ghastly green hue. There were many weapons – weapons that Kara had never heard of – and at that moment, fear had conquered the hero.

"Sam." A confident voice said.

Kara turned. Lena stood behind Reign, a gun in her hand. Her hands were trembling.

"Lena... don't." Kara whispered.

Lena ignored Supergirl and concentrated on Reign. The Worldkiller was laughing. "You actually think that you can shoot me? Those bullets will bounce off my suit. Then I will pick each one up, hold you by your neck – watch as you cry out and squirm like you _pathetic_ humans do – and drive the bullets through your skull."

The CEO wanted to cry. She wanted to throw up and hide. Each word that Reign said sent multiple shivers down her spine. The way Reign described her demise was truly terrifying. What Lena found most frightful was that Reign was Sam. It seemed as if her best friend was saying these horrid words to her. That broke Lena's heart.

But she stayed strong and pointed the gun at Reign.

"Weak. Feeble. Woeful. Three words, Lena! That is all it takes to describe you and the rest of this miserable race." Lena looked away. Reign had Sam's face. Sam was saying these things to her and Lena couldn't bear it.

"Oh, I see. How about now, Luthor?" Reign took off her mask, dropping it on the floor. "Will this tear you apart?"  
Lena didn't look. She didn't want to look. Lena feared that if she did, she would crumble into a million fragments that could never be put back together.

Reign rushed forward, grabbing Lena's chin and forced her to look the Worldkiller in the eye.

Those once caring, nonchalant brown eyes were filled with animosity and rage: hate and ire that Sam never had. A tear fell down her face.

"Oh, so sad..." Reign mocked. She released Lena and turned her attention back to Kara. "Is this more tear-jerking?" she held a knife to Kara's throat. "Will it be more poignant if I kill your beloved," (at this point she was addressing the crowd of DEO agents that had surrounded Reign, their guns ready), "amazing, inspiring hero in front of you all?"

"No." The Worldkiller paused. "You won't ever know. You won't see her die. I'll dump their bodies into the middle of National City for all to see. Yes, that's much better."

Before anyone could react, Reign had grabbed Kara and Lena and shot through the sky. Reign had left, but dawn had arrived.

 ** _TBC..._**


	8. Chapter 8

**I have a tip for you guys – when writing something sad, do NOT listen to sad piano music. It will make you cry. (At least it made me cry).**

 **Apart from that, I have no words for this chapter.**

 **EIGHT**

 ** _Somewhere outside National City..._**

Reign flung Kara forward into the sky. She seemed to disappear into the haze of pink and blue, and that caused Lena much distraught. Trying to release herself from Reign's taut grasp, she yelled and cursed and squirmed.

"Kara!"

Reign cackled as they broke the sound barrier. Lena's ears popped.

Grimacing, Lena could hear the wind whistling in her ears, the chilly morning air tickling her face. She looked down and saw lush green fields and trees that tried to bite at the sky. In front of them was a clearing.

No, it wasn't a clearing. It was an old factory. Outside were a few bare trees and a huge concrete, abandoned parking lot. Lena immediately recognized it as the infamous Lord Technologies factory site that had exploded after an employee went rogue and decided to seek vengeance against billionaire CEO Max Lord.

They dropped down and Lena could feel her face peeling off. Adrenalin coursed through her veins as they plummeted to their deaths. Well, at least to her death. (Reign would no doubt survive the fall and then dump her body into the streets of National City as she had previously promised).

Before they hit the ground, Reign manipulated the air around her so they hovered. She then pushed Lena off of her. The scientist's head hit the floor with a _thump_. As Lena gazed through watery eyes, she could only see blurry figures. The knock on the head had somehow immobilized her legs and arms. She could not move.

Snarling, Reign moved forward. However, what she hadn't noticed was a certain infuriated Kryptonian loitering behind her.

"I don't mean to _Reign_ on your parade, Worldkiller." Kara remarked as she stepped into the light. Reign growled upon seeing Supergirl. "No, actually I do."

And with that, Kara smacked her fist into Reign's cheek sending her sprawling. Unfazed by this, Reign engaged in battle.

Kara levitated in the air, trying to get a better view of her surroundings. Reign slid underneath her, before snapping her leg up. It slammed into Kara's ankle and she crumpled to the groan, her face contorted in pain. The kryptonite was evidently weakening Kara – consequently, it slowed the healing of her ankle.

Limping, Kara clutched her cape, swinging it under Reign. She pulled it up and Reign shot into the air. Kara grabbed this opportunity and zapped the Kryptonian with her heat vision. Reign tumbled backwards.

Reign clenched her fists and Lena winced when she heard a _click_.

As Kara advanced, Reign swung her fist, catching Kara with a solid punch to the jaw. Reign brought her knee forward into Kara's stomach and the hero doubled over. The Worldkiller grabbed a fistful of Kara's blonde hair and yanked it hard, sending Kara crashing into the ground.

Reign unsheathed her knife. Lena blinked, suddenly able to move again. Her eyes scanned the area around them, looking for something – _anything_ – that could distract Reign. Then her eyes locked onto the gun.

The gun! Of course! Lena chided herself for not thinking of it before. The gun had the cure. Now was the time to shoot Reign. Lena scrambled forward, her hands hastily clasping the gun. Pulling it back, she put her finger on the trigger and aimed it at Reign.

Unfortunately, Reign had one arm around Kara's throat, the other gripping the knife that was hovering over Kara's heart. Reign locked eyes with Lena and she smiled.

"Choices, Lena. Choices."

Her grip became tighter. Green veins ran up her face as she grimaced, the kryptonite exposure causing her pain. Her eyes slowly began to obtain the same nasty green colour as the knife.

"Lena..." she managed, but Reign cut off her air supply. She coughed relentlessly, but Reign squeezed even more.

"Lena Luthor. Now is your time. You can shoot me, but you won't be able to stop me from driving this into her heart." Reign sneered. Lena's eyes darted to Kara, who was rapidly losing the colour in her face. More green veins shot up her face.

"This is quite amusing: a Luthor in charge of a Super's life. And this isn't any ordinary Luthor! It is the rebellious Lena Luthor. See Lena, even if you don't shoot me, I will kill Kara Zor-El, traitor of Krypton. But, it's your choice."

"She's not a traitor!"

Reign laughed. "How can you possibly know that? You don't even know what the _great_ Kara Zor-El did. Do you want to know?"

At this point, Kara was desperately fighting against Reign's grasp, but it proved to be futile. She screamed in abject agony, the kryptonite sapping the strength from her blood.

"She left her family to die. She left everyone to die. She was selfish. She could helped them, but she thought she was too great and mighty to perish alongside her blood." Reign screeched at the top of her voice. Tears streaked down Kara's face as she began to slowly give up.

Lena refused to believe what Reign was saying. "No! Kara is a _hero_. She's everyone's hero. She is _my hero._ Even if she did leave her family behind, do you know how much she has brought to Earth? She has saved hundreds of lives. If she did stay behind on Krypton, what more could she have done? I was told it was a dying planet. How can you save something that is dying? By leaving it showed how selfless she is. How she gave up her family to save Earth and protect her cousin. You can't match that, Reign. You're weak. The people who don't have a weakness are weak. They have nothing that can teach them lessons or help them improve. A weakness is not something to be ashamed of. It is something to be proud of. And because you don't have a weakness, you can't learn, you can't develop into a greater version of yourself. Therefore, _Reign_ , _you are pathetic and weak!_ "

Lena had never spoken with such confidence before. But each word that she said, she meant. Hope was bubbling up inside of her.

"Oh Lena. Speeches won't save you. You are the devil Lena, and this is your choice. Make it fast."

Time seemed to slow. Lena's heart was thumping loudly in her chest.

 _Bum. Bum-bum._

Time had slowed so much that Lena could feel each molecule, each _atom_ in the universe floating past her. Reign gave Lena a sad smile:

"It's so beautiful today. The sunrise is magical, don't you think?"

And with that, Reign stabbed the knife into Kara's chest.

The scream that filled the morning air was one Lena would never forget. It was filled with agony and despair, shock and melancholy. As soon as it came from Kara's mouth, Lena's heart broke. Something with in her was crushed mercilessly.

Screaming Kara's name, Lena sprinted forward, firing rounds at Reign. Everything seemed to blur into one: Reign's menacing expression and the dappled ground merged into a mess of colours. The sky became one with the huge factory behind her, becoming an ugly mixture of blue, pink and grey.

Lena didn't care. She charged at Reign, her tears falling to the ground. Anger was all that she could feel. Pure rage. Her scream was belligerent, like an orchestra of cacophony. All other emotions were dulled. Her eyes were glued on Reign. She didn't even see Kara fall to the ground, gasping for breath, her eyes wide in terror.

"Lena..." a voice whispered amid the chaos. Lena ignored it. Her fists connected with Reign. The Kryptonian was shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes were rolling into the back of her head. Reign coughed and spluttered. The cure was working. The Worldkiller produced a red aura around her, and she cried out in pain. Her eyes were filled with loathing as she wrapped an arm around Lena's throat. Lena didn't care. She continued to pummel Reign.

A few moments later, the red aura faded into the misty air. Reign became silent and still. Lena was the opposite: her knuckles were caked in blood and she was sobbing. Dragging her hands down her face, she cried. It seemed as if that was all she could do.

Reign looked so peaceful lying in the grass. No, it wasn't Reign anymore. It was Sam. But now, all Lena could think of was _Sam_ driving a knife through Kara. It was an image she would never be able to forget. And she knew that she would never be able to forgive Sam if Kara died.

 _Kara_.

Lena immediately ran to Kara's side. Her hands fumbled over her wound.

It was so bad. While looking at the mangled flesh, Lena felt pain in her chest – it was as if someone had grabbed her heart and was trying to yank it from her ribcage.

"Kara..." Lena managed between two sobs.

Kara's eyes were wandering. They had lost their colour: once bright blue, now pastel blue. Lena gently tapped Kara's face.

"Lena," she said in that beautiful voice of hers.

Lena smiled, her tears lubricating her lips. "Yes, Kar?"

"You look really pretty in this light."

More tears fell. Why was this happening? Why was this happening to Kara, of all people?

She gazed down at the hero's supersuit. It was torn, marred by Kara's fight with Reign. Where the S met the blue fabric they was a gaping hole filled with oozing blood. It was spreading up to her S. Lena hurriedly wiped the blood off the Super symbol. She didn't want Kara's suit to stain. How would she continue her superhero work if the S was damaged?

"Kara. Your S... it's getting stained."

Kara laughed weakly. "Yeah, I know." Each word was filled with anguish. It was as if Kara had given up on herself.

"Don't worry, Kara, you are going to be fine. The DEO are on the way. They'll save you. They have before, so they will now."

Kara suddenly cried out pain, clutching her stomach. More blood gushed out. Lena felt helpless. How could she help? Fate had such a twisted mind to make her watch Kara go through such affliction.

"I need...I need to put-" Lena moved her hand forward, as if to put pressure on the Kryptonian's gash, but her hand was batted away. Kara held out her shaky hand. Her forehead was beaded with sweat and her eyes were droopy. As their hands met, Lena could feel how cold Kara's were...

"No, Kara. I need to. There's no other way... I can't... I can't... let you..." Lena's voice broke. She couldn't get the words out of her mouth.

"Lena, like you said... how could you save someone who is dying?"

Words could not form in Lena's mouth. As Lex used to say, 'the truth hurts'. Except this truth felt like a punch in the gut. It felt like something inside of her was burning.

"You look so pretty in this light, Lena." Kara whispered, her voice fading into the sound of morning. Her blue eyes were glittering in the pale sunlight. They were endless seas of blue that Lena wished she could dive into.

"Tell Alex..." she coughed. Black spots riddled her sight. Kara frowned, as if the world beginning to spin. "You need to tell..."

"I'm not going to tell her anything, Kara. You are going to bloody tell her yourself!" Lena screeched at the top of her voice. Kara gave a sad smile.

"Alex is the best sister... I could have ever... ever... wished for..."Another fit of coughing. Blood spurted out of her mouth. Alarm bells rang in Lena's head. "And I'll always protect her... even from Rao's light... thank her for giving me another chance at life... on Earth. It's a chance... a chance that I'm so grateful for..."

Lena stood still. The anger inside of her boiled and bubbled. She watched as the life was slowly sucked out of Supergirl. Then she snapped.

"You can't go Kara!" she yelled with all of her might. "Everyone here needs you! Alex needs you! How would she feel if her sister died? How would the whole of National City feel? They need Supergirl! They need Kara Danvers! Don't be selfish! Stay with me! I can't lose you! _I need you Kara!"_

"The world doesn't need me, because the world has _you_."

Suddenly, the Kryptonian's back arched as she screamed in torment. More green veins ran up her face and the stab wound began to glow green. Her head slammed back onto the ground as Kara gasped, the energy inside of her draining out. Every movement she seemed to make sent huge flares of pain down her body.

Kara was looking at Lena with half-open eyes.

"Kara, please!" Lena was begging. She was pleading for Kara to not succumb to the anguish. Kara turned her head slightly. She watched the grass sway to the wind.

"I love my life." She said in a hushed voice. "And I love you." This time she gazed up into Lena's eyes.

Lena banged her fist against the grass. "No! Kara!"

She moved forward, cupping Kara's cheeks, pulling the Kryptonian into a kiss.

Kara smiled one last time at Lena as they parted.

Time froze.

Lena wanted that smile to last forever. It was the smile that brought her joy. And if she never saw it – experienced it again – she feared that she would never feel the joy of Kara. She would forget it. How could she forget that smile? That would be a crime Lena would never be able to forgive herself for.

And at that moment, it wasn't Lena who seemed breathtaking in the light. It was Kara. The gilt rays of the sun lit up her pale face as her suit shimmered dark blue. Lena's breath was stolen away by Kara's beauty. Her blonde locks shone gold and every part of her was extraordinary.

Kara stared at Lena, a smile still painted on her lips. Lena let out all of her sorrow, her anger. She cried and cried.

"I love you too...I love you so much... Words can't describe...my love...for you."

"Mom?" Kara's eyes were elsewhere. She was looking behind her. Lena turned, and saw nothing. But as she waved her hand through the air, she felt another force. It _was_ Kara's mother. And she was here to take her away.

Alura smiled sadly. She had never wished this fate upon her daughter, and to see her so vulnerable was tearing her heart in two. Still, she held out her hand, beckoning Kara to take it. _Kara..._ she whispered, her voice no louder than the wind.

"No!" Lena yelled. "Don't take her away! Please!" It seemed ridiculous screaming to someone she couldn't see but Lena couldn't care less.

Kara's eyes moved to Lena. They stood at a standstill.

Then Kara spoke in a sweet, innocent voice: "I love you Lena."

And then her lips parted one last time. Her eyes were focused on Lena, and Kara said softly:

"I'm home..."

The birds stopped singing.

The wind stopped whistling.

The sun stopped shining.

The grass stopped swaying.

Kara's heart stopped beating. Kara's eyes stopped seeing. Everything seemed to stop: life, death, and the whole world. But Lena did not stop crying.

Something inside of Lena had disappeared – vanished with Kara's soul.

Lena's stare was locked on Kara. She was still smiling. But her pupils were dilated. Her eyes were open wide – like a child gasping in delight on Christmas morning. She seemed as if she was frozen in time.

But Lena knew otherwise.

Lena couldn't think. She forgot how to breathe. Each inhalation was struggle: she had simply lost her will to live. Maybe that was because a part of her died with Kara. And she felt empty. Lena didn't know what to feel. Anger? Dejection? It was too confusing for her.

All she wanted to do was sit with Kara and wither away.

Her whimpers were the only sounds audible for miles. All sounds had muted, perhaps in tribute to Supergirl.

She looked around, feeling nothing. Her eyes caught Sam's limp form. She didn't care for Sam anymore. How could she? She had killed – no, _murdered –_ Kara. Sam had stolen the light from Lena's life with one quick snatch. And Lena was left to pick up the pieces.

Oh, god. What would she tell Alex?

"I should have found another way… I should have saved you…"

Her world broke down.

It was her fault. It finally dawned on her. She could have shot Reign _and_ saved Kara. But she didn't. Kara had always found a way to save everyone without any casualties... so why couldn't Lena? Lena clenched her fists tightly, and held them to her face.

Sam hadn't killed Kara.

Lena had killed Kara.

Lena had murdered Kara with the choice she had made.

 ** _TBC..._**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I've been having a bit of a mind blank on how to write this chapter. But finally, it has been completed!**

 **I really appreciate all the support given to me for my first story, and I got to say that these follows and reviews and favourites really mean that world to me. And thank you so much for sticking with me for this story, and I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have!**

 **Have a wonderful day! :)**

 **NINE**

 ** _Parking Lot of the Abandoned Lord Tech factory_**

Lena watched the sun rise.

Gilt light flooded the parking lot, illuminating everything in the sun's sights. Huge shadows were cast across the ground. The yellow light lit up Kara's face, almost making it seem as if Kara was still alive.

But she wasn't.

Lena stared into the distance, a tear rolling down her cheek. She held Kara's hand tightly, trying to squeeze some life into her friend.

Her friend? No, Kara was more than that. She was her soul, her light in the darkness.

Lena realised that she was referring to Kara in the past tense and sobbed.

Fate had torn them apart cruelly only when their relationship had started. How was that fair? After everything they had been through, did they not deserve a happy ending?

Questions plagued her mind, and Lena feared that this over-thinking would drive her insane. All she wanted was Kara. That was it.

Her eyes wandered to Sam's limp form, laying a couple metres away from them.

She gritted her teeth.

Then Lena let out the most agonizing scream. All of her emotions were realized in a huge torrent of noise.

Lena grabbed fistfuls of the grass beside Kara's dead body. Her knuckles turned white, as she sobbed. She cried and cried: it seemed like that was all she could do.

The scientist let the grass pieces to slip out of her palms as she reached forward to caress the face of the dead female body in front of her in a futile attempt to wake the woman from her slumber.

One word escaped Lena's full lips, "Sam."

"How could you do this? _Why_ did you do this?"

She moved her shaking hands from the dead Kryptonian's face and clenched her fists tautly.

A minute passed and she felt the air behind her tickled the back of her neck. She turned around, and with a hoarse and broken voice, she said: "Please. Help her. Help me!"

Alas, she was yelling at the wind. No one was behind her.

The breeze intensified. Lena looked around, bewildered, but then she noticed the black helicopter hovering over her.

Once the helicopter had landed, agents clad in black uniform went over to Lena.

Medics came rushing onto the scene, shouting commands. Other agents were whispering in disbelief as they set eyes on the body of Supergirl. Shock was etched upon their faces. All of the noise was simply background noise to Lena. She didn't care about them. She cared only about Kara.

She didn't want to leave Kara's side. Lena wanted to stay by her best friend's side forever.

The agents tried to pull her off.

Lena screamed in protest. She tried to fight off the hands that were grabbing her and Kara, pulling them apart. Lena clawed at the agents with her hands, kicking and yelling. As Kara was taken from her side, and Lena cried out.

All she could see were hands. Everything blurred into one mess. Gasping and crying, Lena pushed herself off the people, trying to find Kara.

She saw Kara being put on a gurney. Medics were trying to revive her.

 _She's gone_ , Lena wanted to yell. She wanted to tell them, but she couldn't. She couldn't find her voice.

The medics' hands were caked in blood.

Breathing fast, Lena looked at her own hands. They were caked in blood. Lena felt bile rise in her throat.

This was Kara's blood.

Lena closed her eyes – she wished that this was but a nightmare, and that the action of closing her eyes would jolt her back into the sweet reality.

It didn't work.

She felt herself being hoisted upward.

Concerned faces came into her vision. A green man came into vision. Lena gasped.

"Ms Luthor..." someone said.

The image of Kara's dead body kept coming into her mind.

Shaking, Lena closed her eyes again, trying to escape this madness. But she kept on seeing her best friend's dead body in her mind.

She was lying down on... a gurney? There were people standing over her, and Lena wanted to scream. Nothing was wrong with Lena. They should be helping Kara! So why were they tending to her?

Lena tried to push herself off the gurney, but two robust individuals held her down.

"Stop!" she yelled.

Suddenly, Lena had all of these emotions inside of her that she need to let out. Her heart was thumping in her head. She felt sick.

"Lena..." someone whispered.

Through teary-eyed vision, Lena searched for that familiar voice.

"Lena..." the voice called again.

The scientist looked up. So many faces... so much hurt...

The world was spinning.

She stared into the distance through blurry vision – into the sun and the morning sky.

Part of Lena knew that Kara was smiling from the world beyond: the peaceful world beyond the skies and horizon. And as the sun shone magnificent yellow, Lena believed that it wasn't the sunlight that was sending warmth through Lena's body – it was Kara, smiling from beyond the horizon.

 ** _DEO_**

Alex waited anxiously. Her fingers were drumming rapidly against the desk. It was the only way she could cope with the wait. J'onn and the other agents had gone to the abandoned Lord Tech factory to see whether Reign had been subdued.

 _"Alex."_

Alex snapped her head up, completely alert.

"J'onn?"

 _"Alex, we've made contact with Reign, Ms Luthor and..."_

A pause. Alex frowned, "J'onn? What's their status?"

 _"They... they are okay."_

"And Supergirl?"

A long pause this time. All Alex could hear was static. She clenched her fist, breathing in slowly.

"J'onn!" she called. "What's the problem?"

From the other side Alex could hear soft crying. Why was J'onn crying?

Part of Alex knew why, but she didn't want to believe it. Alex's breaths quickened. She clenched both fists, breathing out. Why couldn't she breathe normally?

 _"Supergirl..."_

More static. Alex blinked. It was an attempt to wake up from this ghastly nightmare.

 _"Alex,"_

That feeling that Alex had had was welling up inside of her. As he spoke again, his voice cracked.

 _"Supergirl has been stabbed."_

Those words hit her like a punch. Alex flinched.

J'onn's words began to slur. She couldn't hear them properly. All she could hear was Kara screaming. Over and over again.

Make it stop.

Why wasn't it stopping?

Alex tried to slow her breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

She clutched her black shirt and scrunched it up – trying to vent her emotions. Alex removed her hand, watching it tremble. The agents looked up with teary eyes and when J'onn spoke, she could hear his words as clear as day.

 _"Kara's gone."_

Alex stared into the distance, a solitary tear falling down her face.

She gasped softly, feeling everyone's eyes on her.

The walls began to close in on her, and suddenly Alex couldn't breathe. It was as if all over the air was stolen from her.

"Agent Danvers?" someone asked, their voice dripping with concern.

Alex ignored them.

Leaning back in her chair, she let her hands drop to her sides.

A wave of emotions crashed on her. Alex refused to swim – she wanted to drown in her emotions and thoughts. She didn't want to save herself.

And then Alex's mind snapped.

And she screamed.

 ** _One Hour Later_**

 ** _Kara Danvers' Apartment_** ****

It was quiet. That was probably the most unsettling thing that Winn noticed as he walked into her apartment.

Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes, taking the first step.

A queer sensation ran up his leg, through his chest and to his head. Shaking it off, Winn opened his eyes.

The apartment was drab. The curtains were freshly pulled back from the windows – allowing the dull light to seep into the room. Like how fresh blood seeped from an open wound. Blood. Wound. _Kara._

Winn squeezed his eyes shut again. He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about _her_.

The blanket was carefully draped over the armrest of one of the couches; even the bright colours failing to light up the room and revive the life that once lived here. The TV was off, and Winn could see his reflection on its surface.

His eyes were ruddy, his hair disheveled and his tie loose around his neck. Winn gazed deeper into the image before him, enthralled by what he had become within the space of a single hour: showing how loss truly affected a person.

His expression solemn, he ventured further into the room, his eyes drifting over her belongings. As he approached the window, he could hear a soft sniffling sound emanating from the bedroom. Curious, he followed it, his eyes laying upon the hunched over figure of Alex Danvers.

She towered over a bunch of scattered photos, her hands hastily grasping at them at tearing them in two.

"Alex!" winn exclaimed, aghast at what she was doing. "What are you doing?"

Alex turned to Winn, her eyes bloodshot and filled with lakes of tears. Her hands were trembling, and her facial expression was one of complete despondency and brokenness.

"I can't handle this..." Alex muttered, her eyes wandering over Winn. She looked back down and tore a photo of a blonde teenage girl and a brunette – Kara and Alex – embracing each other with goofy smiles. "I can't live with this."

Winn reached a hand forward, an attempt to console the agent whose eyes were devoid of all hope. "Alex..."

She batted his hand away, screaming in fury at his action. " _Go away!_ "

Grabbing him roughly by the shoulders, Alex pushed Winn out of the bedroom and against the glass, before returning back to her bedroom, whimpering and murmuring.

Slight pain throbbed in his shoulder, but he refused to let it overwhelm him – Alex was in evident pain and he couldn't let her suffering prolong.

"Stop. Alex. Stop." He said, his voice urgent as he watched Alex gather all of the photos, and dump them carelessly in a rubbish bin.

"She left me." She said, her voice cracked and filled with despair. "I can't live with myself..."

Ripping something from her pocket, she looked at Winn with fiery eyes of madness and heartache. Winn's eyes widened, as Alex revealed lighter from the palms of her hands. She flicked it on, and the warm orange glow radiated throughout the room – the silence piling on like layers of tension. Even the seemingly relaxing glow failed to light up the room: it still felt as if something was missing. Someone was missing. Kara.

 _No_ , Winn told himself, _don't think about her_. _You musn't think about her. It'll only make it worse._

Alex stood over the bin, her lighter alight, her eyes trained on Winn. Tears were falling, falling, falling. The image Winn saw at that moment – Alex, a broken clock that could not be mended without its hands - stayed with him until his dying day. He had never seen her this devoid of all light and goodness in the world. And then he realized, the only thing that is... was good and beautiful in the world was... Kara.

That name. Why did that name come up so many times?

Winn shook his head, trying to avoid that name. That name would now only bring misery.

He held his hand out, like Supergirl had done many times. Supergirl. Kara. Again the shaking of the head, the denial.

"She left me." Alex said.

"I should've found a way to save her."

"It's my fault."

"Why couldn't it have been me?"

Looking helplessly at Winn, she continued: "I don't know what to do now...I don't-"

"Don't burn them. You'll regret it. You'll have lost Kara forever then." As Winn said that name, he felt something break inside his chest. Grief started to seep out of the crack in his heart, threatening to swallow him whole. Nevertheless, he carried on.

"If you burn it, Kara won't exist anymore."

 _"SHE'S DEAD! SHE ALREADY DOESN'T EXIST!"_

Alex stood there, taking in quick breaths, her gaze locked with Winn's. "I don't want to live in a world without her, Winn. I can't."

"This'll give me closure."

She dropped the lighter into the bin.

Winn's eyes widened in shock, he lunged at Alex, crying out: "Alex!" Alex stood motionless, watching the flames dance on the pictures, burning them to a charred crisp. A plume of smoke rose into the air, setting off the fire alarm, which blared in disagreement.

Searching frantically for water, he got a cup of still water and threw it over the bin. There was a hiss, and the fire was quenched. Panting, he looked up at Alex, who was staring intently at the photos. The fire alarm became silent. Once she had realized they had stopped burning, Alex looked at Winn with fury.

"Why did you do that?"

"I needed closure. Why did you do that?"

 _"If you cared about Kara then you wouldn't have done that!"_ Alex screeched. _  
_At the sound of Kara's name, Winn let all of his emotions out – the feelings that had been building up inside of him, ever since Kara died – and let them out in a huge torrent of anger.

" _How would Kara feel seeing her sister like this?"_ Alex did not speak. "She would feel heartbroken. Somewhere – wherever the hell she is – _she'd be crying at seeing you in so much pain. Burning things is not going to help!"_ He took in a deep breath, "you need to face the truth, Alex. She's gone. There's nothing we can do now, but accept it. You think... You think I don't miss her? I just want her back! I want to see her smile, hear her voice...I want to hear that stupid laugh, I took for granted..." He started to cry. "Look what you've Alex, you've burnt the only memories you had left of her. You... you... can't..."

He broke down, sobbing. Alex helplessly looked at Winn with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

They enveloped each other in a huge hug. Gripping tightly onto each other, if they let go, they would succumb to the denial and grief.

"I just want my sister back."

Winn let out a shaky breath, "I know, I do too."

"I just want her back, Winn, why can't I have her back?"

"I don't know, Alex. I don't know."

They cried together.

National City cried together.

The world cried together.

The only time the entire world was truly united was when they were mourning the loss of their beloved Supergirl.

But somewhere, there was a group of people not mourning Supergirl – mourning their friend Kara Danvers.

The hero behind the mask.

The hero no one knew even existed.

 ** _The End_**


End file.
